The Teamsters are still working through their endorsement process, according to spokesperson Kara Deniz, with member polling continuing through the end of the month and a yet-to-be scheduled roundtable with Vice President Harris on the horizon.
“We’re going to work not on anyone else’s but on our timeline, and that means that this is going to be a deliberative, thoughtful, engaging process that our members are going to be and are directly engaged in,” Deniz told The Hill.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien took an unprecedented step in approaching both the Republican and Democratic national committees to request a speaking slot at their gatherings, despite the organization’s endorsement of the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and past support for Democrats.
O’Brien took a lot of heat before taking the stage at the Republican National Convention last month, during which he slammed “elites” whose only “loyalty is to the balance sheet.”
He also challenged the notion that unions should fall in line with Democratic endorsements, saying “we have an obligation to do our due diligence” and “not just automatically support one side.” He noted that the union’s membership is made up of many Democrats, Republicans and independents.
His speech even partially spurred a top Teamsters executive to mount a bid to run against him for president when O’Brien’s current term is up in 2026. The executive, Teamsters Vice President At-Large John Palmer, said it was naive to believe that those who attended the Republican convention would support unions in “any way, shape, form or matter.”
The Hill’s Taylor Giorno and Jared Gans have more here.
